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p.s. what are you playing it on, is it on your Baldwin Pianovelle GPS 3600 Digital Grand

??

I just have to thank you for bringing this to my attention, I saw you mention it on another thread and I'm chuffed to bits to have found it;

Quote:

Originally posted by Agathis: you don't want any of those greatest hits books, by 'the billy joel keyboard book' on amazon and have it to your door for less than $19 (oh, i noticed you aren't in the us, shipping might be a bit more if you really want to know what he plays, this is the book. same for the elton version as well.

thanks, actually, I am using my 'recording rig' for that one. i have a problem of logistics in my house. the Baldwin GPS 3600 is in my living room, about 70 feet from the spare bedroom that houses all of my music stuff. only reason i use my bedroom piano instead of Baldwin is because my recording pc with firewire recording thingy sits in that bedroom so it's just easier than to disassemble a rack mound recording thing and take a desktop pc.monitor etc into living room, someday i will do it but i am just now starting to learn so not yet, i don't think my wife will be too tolerant of a desktop pc sitting on the living room coffee table very long,

i was using an old Korg full size digital on that video but instead of the Korg voice, I am using an old Oberheim piano module called 'mini-grand.' 64 poly, it was pretty good in it's day, around 1995 i think. i don't mind playing it, its still fun and a m ajor step up from the korg c5000. interesting thing, it records better than it sounds... kinda weird. i got the korg in 1989 and have been literally pounding the he__ out of it for close to 20 years and there isn't anything mechanically wrong with it whatsoever... it has survived many home 'rock concerts' without ever showing signs of use even. i was about 20 when i got it so ya know its been thru it..

Am I understanding you correctly that this was taken from sheet music? The post above said "same for the Elton John version," so I'm guessing there is a book that has note for note transcriptions? That's really cool.

Originally posted by Monica Kern: That was great, but I wanted to hear the whole song!

Am I understanding you correctly that this was taken from sheet music? The post above said "same for the Elton John version," so I'm guessing there is a book that has note for note transcriptions? That's really cool. [/b]

Though covered well, it wasn't note for note. If that's exactly what's written in the transcript, there are some slight inconsistancies.

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My version of Lennie Tristano's "Scene and Variation":

Though covered well, it wasn't note for note. If that's exactly what's written in the transcript, there are some slight inconsistancies.

thanks, its a mix of whats in the Elton John Keyboard transcription book and versions Elton has done of it live over the years. Playing directly from any score is something I have tried to get away from doing. I don't think Elton ever plays something the same twice live and the solo in the EJ Keyboard book is boring compared to the live thing he's been doing. His playing on recordings is much more subdued than live so I tried to mix it up. But yes, it's not anything in particular but a mix..

Though covered well, it wasn't note for note. If that's exactly what's written in the transcript, there are some slight inconsistancies.

thanks, its a mix of whats in the Elton John Keyboard transcription book and versions Elton has done of it live over the years. Playing directly from any score is something I have tried to get away from doing. I don't think Elton ever plays something the same twice live and the solo in the EJ Keyboard book is boring compared to the live thing he's been doing. His playing on recordings is much more subdued than live so I tried to mix it up. But yes, it's not anything in particular but a mix.. [/b]

Thanks again, absolutely. I just don't have more ready yet that I am ready to post. Something happens when I hit record, I've heard it referred to as red light fever when ya can't play/sing for some reason when recording, it's getting better though and the compliments are really appreciated. Thanks!

Virtuosic - Hard for me to believe that you would comment on others playing as "wasn't note for note" since you are such a big fan of jazz improv....

Maybe you should enlighten us on the way you would play it... [/b]

You misinterpreted my post, which I imagin that everyone interpreted correctly. My comments were directed at the transcription, the book that was supposedly offering a note by note transcription of Elton John's piano part. I commented that if what he played on his Youtube video was "as written" in the book, than the book is not selling what it is touting it to be, since there are many different instances between the way Agathis played it and the way Elton played it on the original recording.

I've also found this to be true with alot of the Official Artist Series books as well. I recently picked up two books of Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson that were touted as "note for note" transcriptions on the cover with a forward of how painstakingly the dedicated writer transcribed them. I was going to use them for a few of my advanced students, as I figured it would save me the time of writing it out. I had to make so many corrections that I was cut and pasting staff paper over the errors in voicings, missing notes, and other errata. The next time I was in Sam Ash, I glanced through the Bud Powell Artist series book and while the right hand single note lines were correct, for the most part, the music of the bass clef (his "comp") differed from as recorded.

My criticism wasn't of Agathis' playing, it was of the score, if he were playing it note for note, which as it turned out, he wasn't, which is fine.

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My version of Lennie Tristano's "Scene and Variation":

Originally posted by Agathis: Thanks again, absolutely. I just don't have more ready yet that I am ready to post. Something happens when I hit record, I've heard it referred to as red light fever when ya can't play/sing for some reason when recording, it's getting better though and the compliments are really appreciated. Thanks! [/b]

Buy a few more tapes, keep the battery charger handy and keep the recorder on when you sit behind the piano to play. Not practice stuff of course, but turn it on when you are playing music. Get used to the recorder. After awhile, you won't even know it's there and you can always cull what you feel you played very well from the tapes to save and erase the rest, this way you'll have a record of it, and you'll get over any red-light anxiety.

Also, buy a tripod and place the camera so the piano keyboard can be seen more readily. There are alot of YouTube users that would really like to see your hands activating the keys if they wish to emulate what you're playing and try it themselves.

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My version of Lennie Tristano's "Scene and Variation":

Great solo with some of your own ditties thrown in there for very good measure! I like it. When I play the solo I like to play the Am7, D9 (or is it D11?--I forget) chords in the left hand approximating what Elton did on the original recording. Great job and a great piano patch, too. Sounds nice and crisp like a well-tuned grand! I see you also have guitars and drums in the room --- multi-instrumental?

hey nmbrnine, absolutely, I have Border Song about 80% done... The vocals are tough, those pesky high notes, then again, I could just take it down a step like I did Vienna. great great song and i love eltons more gospely side, real cool